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The greatest waste

“The greatest waste <…> is failure to use the ability of people.” - “Out of the Crisis” by W. Edwards Deming.

What is needed to take advantage of the ability of people is to create systems that:

  • Respect people
  • Provide joy in work (tell how their work contributes to providing customer value)
  • Allow those doing the work to improve the process for doing so (give people authority to make changes, along with the tools, training and support to make the right choices)
  • Provide support (training, coaching, job instructions etc.)
  • Put people in the position to succeed
  • Avoid creating pressures that run counter to doing this
  • Support intrinsic motivation

From: The Greatest Waste - The W. Edwards Deming Institute

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